Coronado’s Jake LeClaire dribbles the ball during a home game gainst Del Sol. LeClaire’s left hand is bandaged to protect a finger sprain he suffered against Green Valley High on Oct. 13.
Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | midnight
Coronado's Jake LeClaire blasts a penalty kick against Del Sol.
Coronado senior Jake LeClaire wants to see another banner in Coronado's gym before he graduates.
A midfielder and captain on the boys soccer team, LeClaire has posted 10 goals this year to lead the Cougars in scoring and keep them in the playoff hunt.
"My goal is to leave this program as something more than just a footnote," LeClaire said. "It really important to me that I do everything I can to make sure this team goes as far as we can. We have high expectations and we want to go far."
After a 1-0 win over Del Sol on Oct. 23, the Cougars improved to 6-3-3 in the Southeast Division to clinch the league's No. 4 seed in the postseason. The Cougars did not reach the playoffs last year and have never made it past the Sunrise Regional semifinals, but LeClaire said this could be the year they get over the hump.
"The three years I've been on varsity have been the three rockiest years the school has had," he said. "We've had three different coaches and we didn't make the playoffs last year."
LeClaire said the Cougars' record is misleading because their losses were close and they played league-leading Southeast Career and Technical Academy to a tie and handed Centennial its only loss.
"We have a good, solid team but someone had to step up and take responsibility for what we do on the field," LeClaire said. "I've been on varsity the longest of anyone on the team, so it fell to me. I'm just glad I can contribute in whatever way. I'm glad that I've scored 10 goals but only because it's helped us win."
Coronado coach Dusty Barton said LeClaire's fiery attitude has been both his biggest strength and greatest weakness. While it has given him a can-do attitude that has made him an effective leader, it can also cause him to lose focus.
Barton said LeClaire has found a better balance for himself as the season has progressed.
"His passion is really impressive," Barton said. "He wants to win and he's willing to do whatever it takes and that attitude, combined with talent, will take you a long way. He's very aggressive out there, he goes after the ball and wins it. He's been our go to guy all year and we know we can count on him when we need to."
The playoffs begin Nov. 4 and LeClaire wouldn't be surprised if the Cougars made a deep run.
"We have solid players at every position," he said. "If we cut down on mental errors we could be very tough on people. When we play our best we can beat any team in the valley."
Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy